I will be picking up at week 5 of Hal Higdon's plan. I've already run 4 miles and the next thing on the list is 5. I switched the Sunday 6-miler in his plan for 5 miles this week and moved the 6-miler to next Sunday instead of a 5-K race...because there isn't a 5K I can run next week. My goal is to keep my long runs on Sundays that increase by 1 mile each week, just like his plan says. That's ok, right?
Now, I understand the shorter runs throughout the week. I understand the resting and the stretching. My only trouble area will be the cross training. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know we've had this conversation before. I need some cross training advice! What do you do to cross train?
Here are my cross training options right now:
- my bike
- walking my dog
- workout DVDs
- Wii Fit (probably doesn't count)
- a public, outdoor, summer-only pool (I swim like a rock. But I can do it.)
- A resistance band, yoga mat, balance ball, and 2lbs weights
Ok. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to help me find some cross training options. I also have the attention span of a 5-year-old. So these 60-minute cross training sessions are going to be brutal. It doesn't have to be 60 minutes of the same thing does it?
Oh my goodness.....I just remembered the monster that lives in my basement! He might be the answer I've been looking for! I'll have to post about him another time.
I made my own half training plan because I couldn't find one that I liked. Either they were too easy or too hard and empasized speed work which isn't my focus for the half I'm running.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, my long runs increase by one mile every other week. So for instance, this Sunday I will be running 7 miles for the second Sunday in a row. Next Sunday I'll run an 8 miler and repeat it again the Sunday after that.
I did this hoping it would let my body acclimate to the longer distances more easily and hopefully prevent injury.
Since you haven't been running a lot, be careful with the mileage increases each week. Just listen to your body and cut back if you need to. Actually you should cut back mileage every 4 weeks or so. My plan does that too.
As for cross training, I take spin classes and do the elliptical. Since you don't have a gym membership, I think riding your bike a couple days a week would be great, or you can do some cardio DVDs. The point with cross training is to give your legs a break while still maintaining your endurance levels.
Good luck.
I think I would ride my bike or swim. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI vote for the bike and then mat work on other days. Add some glute work in there too to keep those strong. I believe that issues arise in the IT band, knees, ankles, calves when our hips/glutes get weak.
ReplyDeleteI would do something fun, or at least entertaining. I like to hop on the bike and watch tv or skim through a magazine. OR... if I have people willing to join me, we go play basketball, dodgeball, or... yes, Wii. Haha! Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteHey...I love Hal Higdon's plans! He emphasizes that it's okay to switch up the plans to what works for your schedule. (Long runs don't even HAVE to be Sunday, that's just the suggestion.)So YES feel free to tweak the plan. Just make sure to get in the long runs...and most of the short runs.
ReplyDeleteCross training also doesn't excite me too much. Swimming is good. Same with the eliptical or the stationary bike. I try not to do something too grueling for the cross-training days. Or I just run instead. That's probably missing the point though O:-)